3 May 2013

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced on Thursday, May 2, that after careful reconsideration, it will reinstate Madison Grimm, 6, of Burbank, South Dakota, as the winner of the 2013 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest.

At the National Junior Duck Stamp Contest, held on April 19 in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, a panel of five judges selected Grimm's painting of a male Canvasback as the winning entry. Following the contest, concerns were raised about the authenticity of the work. The Service had disqualified the artwork in late April, but had continued to evaluate its decision.

The USFWS has released a full statement on its decision to reinstate Grimm.

27 APRIL 2013
 
On 19 April, six-year-old Madison Grimm, of Burbank, South Dakota, was announced as the winner of the nationwide Jr. Duck Stamp Contest.

A week later, she was disqualified as the winner.
 
From an announcement by the USFWS:

At the National Junior Duck Stamp Contest, held on April 19 in Shepherdstown, W. Va., a panel of five judges selected as the winner a painting of a single canvasback by Madison Grimm, 6, of Burbank, S.D. Following the contest, concerns were raised by parents and teachers about the authenticity of the work. The Federal Duck Stamp Office investigated and learned that the painting had been transferred, which is inconsistent with the Junior Duck Stamp Contest rules.  On the advice of the Department of the Interior’s Solicitor’s Office, Grimm’s painting was disqualified and [runner-up, Peter] Coulter was named the contest winner.

Coulter, 17, of Washington, Missouri, painted a pair of Snow Geese.
 
See the full announcement from the USFWS and a story on the situation from the Argus Leader of Sioux Falls.

22 APRIL 2013

The winner of the Jr. Duck Stamp contest was chosen on April 19 at a judging at the National Conservation and Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The winning artist is Madison Grimm from Burbank, South Dakota, with an oil painting of a male Canvasback. The amazing thing is that Madison Grimm is only six years old.

Artwork certainly runs in the family. Madison Grimm's father, Adam Grimm, is a renowned wildlife artist who also began drawing and painting at an early age. He was 21 years old at the time when he won the Federal Duck Stamp Contest in 1999, with an image of a Mottled Duck.

The Junior Duck Stamp will be released by the Service on June 28 at the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Ashland, Virginia. These stamps are sold for $5 each. Proceeds from stamp sales are recycled back into the program and are used to fund scholarships for national contest winners, state programs, marketing, and environmental education materials.

Read the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press release for more detais on the contest results – including runners-up.

And, for a image of Madison Grimm's artwork and other information and images, see the home page of the Junior Duck Stamp program.

15 MARCH 2013

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has selected Maumee Bay State Park Conference Center in Oregon, Ohio, as the site for the very next Federal Duck Stamp Art Competition, to be held on September 27-28, 2013. The site selection, in part, pays homage to long-time Fish and Wildlife Service employee and acclaimed wildlife artist Bob Hines (1912-1994), who spent his formative youth outdoors in the area around nearby Fremont, Ohio. Hines was asked to draw the 1946-1947 Migratory Bird Hunting [Duck] Stamp. And starting in 1949, he joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington DC as their artist-illustrator in residence. His dedication to the "Duck Stamp" led to the formal selection process with judges, standards, and clear rules for the art contest, starting in the early 1950s. Hines was godfather for the stamp for three decades.

The five waterfowl species eligible for depiction on the 2014-2015 stamp (those images that will be judged in September at Maumee Bay State Park Conference Center), are the following:

• Mallard
• Canvasback
• Gadwall
• Cinnamon Teal
• Blue-winged Teal

You can find more information in the contest announcement.

21 FEBRUARY 2013

The Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp is concerned that the funding for the Jr. Duck Stamp Program is in serious jeopardy within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The program has proven to be a tremendous success since its launch in the early 1990s. It mobilizes over 27,000 students per year, connecting children with nature through science and the arts. In fact, March 15th is the deadline for submitting art for most state Junior Duck Stamp contests.

In a recent letter to Dan Ashe, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp stressed that the Jr. Duck Stamp effort "is one of the very best programs in the Service to reach out to a broad sector of our American youth to launch – and eventually commit to – a conservation ethic and to appreciate the role that the Service plays in helping sustain those values. It's an ideal tool, and relatively cheap, a communications and youth education vehicle that needs to be maintained well beyond this year's contest."

The program also is one of the best links to "create and sustain a constituency for the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation [Duck] Stamp, teaching younger Americans  – and reminding their parents – of the value of waterfowl, wetland, and grassland conservation."

While appreciating the difficult decisions that have to be made inside the USFWS these days, particularly when budget issues are imposing themselves on important programs and activities, the letter requested that Ashe use the power of his position to "reverse any adverse funding decision and to continue to give the Jr. Duck Stamp program the support it so richly deserves."

11 FEBRUARY 2013

The Jr. Duck Stamp program is a unique program of incalculable value. Since its start in 1989, and particularly since the implementation of a national art contest and stamp in 1993, the Jr. Duck Stamp Program has inspired hundreds of thousands of youngsters in conservation and the arts. The Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Act of 1994 was enacted on 6 October 1994. That act directed the Secretary of the Interior to create a Junior Duck Stamp and to license and market the stamp and its design.

Today, more than 27,000 students enter state Jr. Duck Stamp Art Contests annually.

In fact, 15 March 2013 is the deadline for submitting art for most state Junior Duck Stamp contests. Exceptions are South Carolina, which had its deadline on 11 January, and both Arizona and Ohio, which have their deadlines on 1 March.

A new Junior Duck Stamp is released by 1 July each year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These stamps are sold for $5 each. Proceeds from stamp sales are recycled back into the program and are used to fund scholarships for national contest winners, state programs, marketing, and environmental education materials.

The program is profoundly exciting and inspirational. Not only is the standard program one that brings thousands of youngsters to nature through art, but the new curriculum for the Jr. Duck Stamp Program gives it more power, more relevance.

The new curriculum and related activities meet National Science Education Content Standards, North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Guidelines for Learning, and National Visual Arts education standards for children in grades K-12, and other educational standards.The curriculum gives students – and educators – an opportunity to investigate what is fun, unique and mysterious about waterfowl and wetlands in North America

The Jr. Duck Stamp Program is one of the most important things that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does in the area of wildlife education for youth. And it needs the support of Americans everywhere.

Support the next generation of wildlife artists and creative land stewards. Buy a Junior Duck Stamp today!

You can access more information on the program and an entry form here:
http://www.fws.gov/juniorduck/ArtContest.htm

For the new Junior Duck Stamp (JDS) Program Educator Guide and Youth Guide, see here:
http://www.fws.gov/juniorduck/curriculum.html

4 JANUARY 2013

More than 60 Refuge "Friends" groups, including the Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp, sent a letter today to President Barack Obama, supporting Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar and his steadfast contributions to conservation and the outdoors.

These groups were joined by five national organizations: National Wildlife Refuge Association, The Wilderness Society, Marine Conservation Institute, Wildlife Forever, and The Trust for Public Land.

The letter highlighted Secretary Salazar's effectiveness during President Obama's first term and support for the Secretary should he decide to stay on during the President's second term. In part, the letter said, "A hallmark of Secretary Salazar's approach is partnerships with states, localities and landowners. These collaborative efforts protect working landscapes, water quality and restore wetlands and have spurred new wildlife corridors, refuges, and monuments."

From the perspective of our own group, the Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp, the Secretary has played a vital role in his chairmanship of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission and his support for the wise investment of Stamp dollars and the increased appreciation of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation [Duck] Stamp.

You can read the entire letter and see the list of all the organizational signatories here.

1 OCTOBER 2012

Robert Steiner, an accomplished artist from San Francisco, became the winner of the 2012 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest on Saturday, 29 September.  The announcement was made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, at the end of the annual art contest, the only juried art competition sponsored by the federal government.

This year's contest judges were: Dudley Edmonson, a wildlife photographer, filmmaker, and author; Paul Higgins, an outdoor photographer whose work has been displayed in galleries and has appeared in national outdoors magazines; Don Paul, a wildlife biologist who served 34 years with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources; Marjory Sente, a stamp collector specializing in first day covers; and Christine Thomas, dean and professor of natural resources at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
 
Steiner' acrylic painting was of a male Common Goldeneye. This achievement represents Steiner's second Federal Duck Stamp Contest win.  His art previously appeared on the 1998-1999 Federal Duck Stamp. (That previous image was of a Barrow's Goldeneye.) Robert Steiner has taught college-level art, done free-lance book and magazine illustration, and, since the late 1980s, has established himself as a highly successful wildlife artist. He has won numerous state duck stamp competitions and his works have been exhibited across America.

For more on Robert Steiner, see here:
http://www.steinerprints.com/website/about_robert_steiner
 
Robert Steiner's acrylic painting of a Common Goldeneye will be made into the 2013-2014 Federal Duck Stamp, which will go on sale in late June 2013.  The Service produces the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, sometimes commonly known as the Duck Stamp, which sells for $15 and raises about $25 million each year to provide critical funds to conserve and protect wetland habitats in the National Wildlife Refuge system for the benefit of wildlife and the enjoyment of people.
 
Of 192 entries in this year's two-day art competition, 17 entries made it through to the final round of judging.  Paul Bridgeford of Des Moines, Iowa, placed second with his acrylic painting of a pair of Northern Shovelers.
 
Gerald Mobley of Claremore, Okla., took third place with his acrylic painting, also of a pair of Northern Shovelers. Mobley's art  had appeared on the 1985-1986 Federal Duck Stamp. (That was an image of a Cinnamon Teal.)

For more information, see the press release from the USFWS.

13 SEPTEMBER 2012

Yesterday, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (MBCC) , chaired by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, met in Washington DC. The Commission approved the addition of more than 10,000 acres in fee-title and easements (or leases) to seven units of the National Wildlife Refuge System. These properties were the following:
   Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (MT  – 810 acres fee and 5,834 acres lease)
   San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge (TX – 1,441 acres fee)
   Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge (TX – 200 acres fee)
   Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (N – 625 acres fee)
   Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge (OR – 24 acres fee)
   Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge (SC – 1,543 acres fee)
   Tulare Basin Wildlife Management Area (CA – 164 acres easement).
                                      
An advance approval for up to 18,581 acres in easements at the Tulare Basin was favorably received and discussed by the Commission, but a decision was deferred until the March 2013 MBCC meeting.
 
All these properties, of course, involve willing sellers, and the money for these acquisitions comes from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund (MBCF), commonly understood as the account where Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation [Duck] Stamp funds are deposited.
 
The Commission also approved 19 U.S. Standard Grants from 14 states under the North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA). For more than two decades, the NAWCA program has helped to bring together thousands of partners to achieve wetland and migratory bird conservation.

The MBCC meeting also heard a short presentation from Bill Hartwig, Board Member of the Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp, stressing the promotion, preservation, sales, and better understanding of the stamp. Hartwig said that "Stamps need to be more broadly appreciated, and more need to be sold."  He particularly emphasized the importance of selling stamps to those Americans outside the immediate waterfowl community.

You can read a Department of Interior press release on the MBCC meeting here:    http://tinyurl.com/9t4f85j.

28 JULY 2012

Last week, the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works approved two steps impacting the status of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, popularly known as the “Duck Stamp.”

Both decisions will move the Stamp closer to some changes, but the committee actions are also part of the process, a process that has further hurdles to overcome.

The first step was the committee’s approval for the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2012 (S. 2071). A pilot program involving federal e-stamp sales in a number of states has worked well so that the effort was considered worthy of expansion. The bill technically would give the U.S. Department of the Interior permission to grant any state authority to issue e-stamps. The bill also sets forth conditions for doing so, and Interior could revoke a state's privilege if it determined the state was violating the rules.

You can read the e-stamp legislation at: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.2071.IS:

So far, only three senators have sponsored the legislation, but similar legislation (H.R. 3117) passed the House in January

The second move involved changing the price of the “Duck Stamp.” Here, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved the Migratory Bird Habitat Investment and Enhancement Act (S. 2156), which would allow the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, to set prices for the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp. This cycle would occur every five years. (Implied price changes have been $25 for five years beginning in 2013 and to $30 in the next five years.)

The current $15 price for the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp has not changed since 1991. The stamps cost $1 originally in 1934 and the price has increased seven times over the decades.

While the bill in the Senate was approved by the Senate committee, odds are more daunting in the U.S. House of Representatives.

You can read the e-stamp legislation at: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.2156.IS: